Robert Miller Easton (8 June 1898 – 26 May 1987) was a British bass of the mid-twentieth century. He was known both in the concert hall, where he sang in

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is ...

s and other choral works, and in opera, appearing in bass roles at the

Royal Opera House, Covent Garden The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal O ...

and on tour. In concert and on record Easton performed many popular ballads, and was one of the original sixteen soloists in Ralph Vaughan Williams's '' Serenade to Music'', premiered and recorded in 1938. In his later years he was a respected and sought-after adjudicator for singing competitions.

Life and career

Easton was born in Sunderland, on 8 June 1898. He joined a church choir at the age of six, and studied at Bede Collegiate School, Sunderland. When he was seventeen he joined the army.Chesterfield Items", ''Derbyshire Times'', 24 December 1943, p. 5 He was severely wounded in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, having a leg amputated. He was in hospital for more than three years, and while he was there a colleague singled his voice out as an instrument of great promise. That view was confirmed by a well-known singing teacher, Signor Bozzelli , and after being invalided out of the army Easton trained as a singer, studying under

Dinh Gilly Dinh Gilly (19 July 1877 – 19 May 1940) was a French-Algerian operatic baritone and teacher. Biography He studied in Toulouse, Rome (with Antonio Cotogni), and at the Conservatoire de Paris, where he won a first prize in 1902. That same year ...

and

Harry Plunket Greene Harry Plunket Greene (24 June 1865 – 19 August 1936) was an Irish baritone who was most famous in the formal concert and oratorio repertoire. He wrote and lectured on his art, and was active in the field of musical competitions and examination ...

. According to ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'', Easton's career began at the leading British music festivals, "where his strong, vibrant bass was much in demand"."Obituary: Mr Robert Easton", ''The Times'', 28 May 1987, p. 20 By 1921 he was singing, to good notices, in major venues including the

Queen's Hall The Queen's Hall was a concert hall in Langham Place, London, Langham Place, London, opened in 1893. Designed by the architect Thomas Knightley, it had room for an audience of about 2,500 people. It became London's principal concert venue. Fro ...

, London. He became known for his singing in

oratorios An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mu ...

, such as Haydn's '' The Seasons''. He told a reporter in 1929 that he had recently sung in Handel's ''

Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of '' mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach ...

'' on seven successive evenings all round Britain. Easton had a parallel operatic career. He sang at Covent Garden during six successive opera seasons and toured with the British National Opera Company. In

Sir Thomas Beecham Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet, CH (29 April 18798 March 1961) was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic orchestras. He was also closely associated with th ...

's Covent Garden seasons in the 1930s Easton's roles included Fafner in ''

Das Rheingold ''Das Rheingold'' (; ''The Rhinegold''), WWV 86A, is the first of the four music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's '' Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). It was performed, as a single opera, at the National ...

'' and ''

Siegfried Siegfried is a German-language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements ''sig'' "victory" and ''frithu'' "protection, peace". The German name has the Old Norse cognate ''Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr'', which gives rise to Swedish ''Sigfrid' ...

'',Turner, W. J. "The Ring at Covent Garden", ''Illustrated London News'', 16 May 1936, p. 888 The critic W. J. Turner wrote that Easton and Ludwig Weber (Fasolt) "were as splendid a pair of giants as I have ever heard". The reviewer in ''

'' said that Easton "added to Fafner's fearsome presence a tremendously resonant voice and set some of the other singers a good example in clear enunciation". In the 1937 Covent Garden season Easton sang Titurel in ''

Parsifal ''Parsifal'' ( WWV 111) is an opera or a music drama in three acts by the German composer Richard Wagner and his last composition. Wagner's own libretto for the work is loosely based on the 13th-century Middle High German epic poem ''Parzival ...

'', conducted by

Fritz Reiner Frederick Martin "Fritz" Reiner (December 19, 1888 – November 15, 1963) was a prominent conductor of opera and symphonic music in the twentieth century. Hungarian born and trained, he emigrated to the United States in 1922, where he rose to ...

''. In addition to opera and concert work, Easton was well-known for singing popular ballads, both in recitals and on record. In the mid-1920s he began to make records for the Columbia company and made a long series of well-received discs of ballads and of more ephemeral material, as well as more serious music such as Handel arias, all, according to ''The Times'', "showing his excellent diction and imposing voice". He was a favourite singer of Beecham's who cast him as Méphistophélès in his 1929 recording of Gounod's ''

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroa ...

'', and as Schaunard in a 1935 recording of the final act of Puccini's ''

La bohème ''La bohème'' (; ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions '' quadri'', '' tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giusep ...

'' with

Dora Labbette Dora Labbette (4 March 1898 – 3 September 1984) was an English soprano. Her career spanned the concert hall and the opera house. She conspired with Sir Thomas Beecham to appear at the Royal Opera House masquerading as an Italian singer by the ...

(singing as "Lisa Perli") as Mimì and

Heddle Nash William Heddle Nash (14 June 189414 August 1961) was an English lyric tenor who appeared in opera and oratorio. He made numerous recordings that are still available on CD reissues. Nash's voice was of the light tenor class known as "tenore di g ...

as Rodolfo."Record Month for the Gramophone", ''The Era'', 7 October 1936, p. 8 On 5 October 1938 Easton was one of the original sixteen singers in Ralph Vaughan Williams's '' Serenade to Music.'' The solo lines composed for him set the words, "The reason is, your spirits are attentive" and "Is fit for treasons, stratagems and spoils". Jacobs, Arthur (2001). Notes to Dutton CD CDBP 9707 Sir Henry Wood, the dedicatee, conducted the premiere and he and the soloists reassembled to record the work for Columbia at EMI's studios ten days later. The recording has been reissued in a digital transfer for CD. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Easton continued to sing for many years, and was in demand as an adjudicator at singing competitions. ''The Times'' described his adjudications as "wise and well-informed", and added "His jovial personality and fund of good stories made him a racy companion at these events". Easton died in Surrey aged 88, on 26 May 1987.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Easton, Robert 1898 births 1987 deaths Operatic basses British basses People from Sunderland Musicians from Tyne and Wear 20th-century British male opera singers